Combined heating and sprinkler system.



W. B. #MMR-WND.

CGMBFNED HEATING MEQ SRHMLER SYSTEM.

APPLICATIQH FILED :um 26. 1916. f

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COMBSNED HEATING AND'SPRINKLER SYSTEM.

' APPUCATION FILED JUNE 26.1916.

3 SHEETS--SHEH 3.

Patented 3 une 5, N27.

WILBERFORGE BEEC-IEB, HAMMOND, OF BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY

MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO COMBINED HEAT AND SPRINKLER COMPANY, A COR- POBATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

COMBINED HEATING AND SPRINKLER SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J une 5, 1917.

Application led June 2G, 19.16. Serial No. 105,937.

To all 'whom t may concern.'

' Be it known that I, WILBnRFoncn BEECHER HAMMOND, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Brookline, in the county ofy Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Combined I-Ieating and Sprinkler Systems, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to combination hot water heating and fire-protective sprinkler systems, and consists of improvements by which such a system can be installed with economy of piping and operated with a minimum expenditure of power for maintenance of circulation. As will appear from the description of apparatus which follows, the design of my improved combination system is consistent with compliance with the approved practice both as regards heating systems and sprinker systems.

` Myinvention is illustrated in the drawings hereto annexed in which- Figure 1 is a perspective diagram representing the elements of my combination system in simple form;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1; f

Fig. 3 is a detail in perspective showing the arrangement of one of the sprinklerequipped gravity circulation loops of Figs. l and 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective diagram illustrating my invention in another form, wherein the gravity circulation loop comprises several branches in parallel connected to a common return; andy Fig. 5 is a perspective diagram showing another form in which my invention may be embodied.

In all the forms illustrated by the draw, ings, the circulation system comprises two water circulation circuits, one which I call the main circuit consisting of vhot water :pipes proceeding from and leading to the heater; the other a water circulation circuit which in 'its essentials consists of a pipe circuit proceeding'from and leading back to the pipes of the main circuit. This I call the secondary circuit.

The circulation in the main circuit is maintained by the expenditure of only so much power as is required for that circuit, the secondary circuit maintains its Acys/n cirin the main circuit.

culation, drawing water from the main circuit and returning'it thereto by gravity operation. 'If the heating effect of the secondary circuit Vpipes is not suiicient for heating purposes, radiation may be included The fire protecting sprinklers are attached to the secondary circuit preferably by means of offset fixtures such as are described in my United States Patent No. 1,058,968 dated April 15, 1913. The form of fixture illustrated in Figs. l and 2 of the said `patent is to be preferred, for reasons which. will appear herein.

The apparatus shown in Figs. 1, 2 and. 8 hereto annexed is constructed and operates as follows:

The main circuit comprises the heater B, up-riser R, horizontal pipe P, header or manifold P2, radiatorpipes II, header H and return R2. If required, circulation in this main circuit may be maintained by means of a pump represented by P. Water supply under constant head will be provided for by a connection` X with some source of supply, as illustrated by the tank T. 4

The secondary circuit is represented in this illustration by any one of the loops of pipe L, L, L2, L3, L4. A short riser L leads out of the top ofthe pipe P', and to this ushort riser the inclined pipe L is connected, thence the loop is continued, including pipes L2 and L4, the latter conected to and entering the main circuit pipe at the side thereof at the point L3. Onthis secondary circulation loop are mounted sprinkler offsets S, each connected by preference at the top of the loop pipe, as shown and described in my Patent No.11,058,968, and each having a sprinkler head at its dead end.

The hot water in the pipeP rises into thevpipe section L. and the cooler water in sections L, L2 and .L4 by its tendency to descend, keeps the water flowing in the loop and out through the union at L3 into the pipe P again. Toinsure the proper filling of the secondary circulation loop, an air valve at Vy *(see Fig. 3) is placed at the highest point in the loop, this being, in the illustration underdescription, at the junction of the pipe sections L and L. It will be advisable also to place an air collecting chamber at some other part of the circulation loop, as at S this chamber may advantageously be made to consist-'of a sprinkler offset of relatively great length and therefore air-holding capacity. Y

The building 1n which the above described system is installed is indicated by the dotted outline d in Fig. 1.

The circulation in the secondary loop above described is wholly due to gravity and the diiierences in specific gravity between bodies of water having different temperatures, so that no load is put upon the circulation factor of the main circuit represented by the circulation pump P (Fig. 1) The secondary circulation circuits will, however, cause water to circulate rapidly enough to maintain effective heating temperatures in all portions of the secondary circuits, provided of course the water in the main circuit be kept effectively hot. Thus the secondary circuits supplement the radiators of the main circuit and reduce the heating'surface requirements of the main circuit, while the power factor required to maintain circulation is not burdened with maintenance of circulation in the secondary circuits. The sprinkler heads on the fixtures S are kept cool in the manner described in my Patent No. 1,058,968 although these xtures are always in open communicationfwith the circulation pipes and ready to act as conduits for water in case a sprinkler head should release by reason of fire. It will be observed that the only riser and return from and to the heater is that required for the main circuit. As these are necessarily large pipes, and as the secondary circuits require only relatively small pipes, the economy in construction is obvious. If the installation is of modest size,'so that circulation in the main circuit can be maintained simply by gravity, the addition of the secondary cirv cuits will not affect this condition. By employing the combination of circuits above described, adequate circulation will be maintained through both main and secondary circuits with a circulation factor suiiiciently f effective to operate the main circuit alone.

The secondary circuit part of the system may be diiferentlyconstructed, as indicated in Fig. 4, while operating in the same relationship to the main circuit as in the illustration shown in Figs. v1, 2 and 3. In Fig. 4 the several pipes Z, each supplied by a'short riser pipe Z which communicates with the top of the pipe P, are arranged kin parallel and all connect with a pipe L5, which communicates with a return pipe L, the latter entering the maincircuit at L7. As with the simpler single `loops of second- `ary circuit pipe shown in Figs. 1, 2Y and 3,

circulation in this secondary circuit of Fig.

.4f is maintained by gravity operating through the different speciic gravities of bodies of water at dierent temperatures. n Here, 'as

construction and is therefore preferable on these grounds. The junction pipe Z5 in this instance stands at the high level of the sec-v ondary 'circulation circuit, and from it the return Z6 extends downward and joins the main circuit at LS. The secondary circulation system, being Vfilled with water, protects itself against the formation of air pockets in the circulation pipes, by reason of the sprinkler offset fixtures S, which are intended to entrap and hold air, as described in my Patent No. 1,058,968. These sprinkler fixtures, in the construction shown in Fig. 5, arc between the main circuit and the high level of the secondary circuit, so that any air bubbles that enter the secondary circuit will be caught by the sprinkler offsets where they are beneficial and not allowed to collect in the high level of the circulation pipe, where they might be detrimental. In practice it has been found that sprinkler heads so situated will frequently leak, though very slightly; there is little danger therefore that the sprinkler offsets will ever be all so full of air that additional air in the circulation pipes will find its way to the high level in the secondary circuit'.

Practically therefore, the arrangement f shown in Fig. 5 is such that no air valves will be required.

Furthermore, by arranging part of the s characteristic elements of a h ot water circulation system of a circulation loop extending laterally from saidk circulation system and joined thereto at both ends of the loop, said loop comprising a relatively highreaching riser at one end 'and a relatively low` return connection at the other end and the' pipes of the loop descending gradually from the level of the top of the riser to that at the return connection, and re-protecting sprinklers mounted on the inclined pipes oi' the loop.

2. In a combined liot Water heating and sprinkler system, the combination with the characteristic elements of a hot Water circulation heating system, of a circulation loop extending laterally from saidV circulation system and joined thereto at both ends of the loop, said loop comprising a relatively high reaching risei` at one end and a relatively louT return connection at the other end, and the pipes of the loop descending gradually from the level of the top of the riser to that at the return connection, lireprotecting sprinklers mounted on the inclined pipes of the loop, and an air collecting chamber attached to the loop.

3. In a combined hot Water heating and sprinkler system, the combination with a main hot Water circulation circuit and means to maintain circulation therein, of a circulation loop connected With said main circuitat both ends of said loop, one of its connections being at a higher level than the other, to maintain independent gravity circulation in said loop, and ire-protecting sprinklers mounted on the said gravity circulation loop. p

i. In a combined hot Water heating and sprinkler system, the combination of a main hot Water circuit and means to maintain circulation therein, a secondary circuit consisting of a loop connected at both ends With the main circuit, the connection nearer the source of main circuit circulation comprising a riser from the top of the main circuit pipe, and sprinklers mounted on the pipes of the secondary circuit.

Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts, this tenth day of June, 1916.

WILBERFORCE BEECHER HAMMOND.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

